Saratoga Springs residents say elimination of Saturday mail service is no surprise

By PAUL POST

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Saturday mail delivery is about to follow many other things into extinction in the rapidly growing digital age of social media and the Internet.

The U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that Saturday home delivery will be eliminated beginning in August, a move that's expected to save $2 billion and eliminate 35,000 jobs.

Local residents and business people say the change comes as no surprise.

"I'm fine with it. I can get bills a day later," said Anne Bishop, a Realtor with Prudential Manor Homes in Saratoga Springs. "Our business can survive it. We're open Saturdays on a limited basis anyway. It's a little inconvenience for everyone, but not something we can't adjust to."

Electronic communication has claimed many victims in the past decade, from large metropolitan newspapers to books replaced by Kindles to booksellers such as Borders.

"It's sad," said Janice DeMarco, co-owner of Lyrical Ballad, an antiquarian bookstore on Phila Street in Saratoga Springs. "I treasure post offices because I grew up with them. Our way of life is changing so drastically because of the Internet. I can't say I like it, but I understand what the post office is doing financially."

She said that most people who contact her business do so by Facebook, email or through its website.

Plans call for keeping post offices open on Saturday and mail will still be delivered to postal boxes. Package delivery, which has increased 14 percent since 2010, will also continue.

But people who want friends and relatives to get birthday cards on time will have to send them a bit earlier. Most people will just get more mail on Monday.

Joni Collura of Saratoga Springs said it's unfair for the Postal Service to eliminate Saturdays after just having raised the price of first-class stamps from 45 cents to 46 cents.

"It's not right," she said. "It's a little ironic that they're increasing the amount of a stamp, yet they're not going to have the service they've had for many, many years."

Saratoga Springs resident Jen Horn said, "I'm not surprised. I think soon they'll be doing even fewer days per week."

"It makes no difference," said Jim Oudekerk of Saratoga Springs. "I don't rely on anything coming in the mail on Saturday. Business is Monday to Friday. It is what it is."

Bill Sheeley has a postal box at the downtown post office on Broadway.

"It's not a big deal," he said of the change. "Most of my mail comes here. I'd like to see them keep the post office open."

Adirondack Trust Co. President, CEO and Chairman Charles Wait said, "I'm sure there are some people who rely on Saturday delivery. As a business person, I don't think it matters particularly because so much mail is electronic now."

The Postal Service has reduced its work force by 193,000 people since 2006 without imposing layoffs, spokeswoman Maureen Marion said. Many reductions have been through attrition and retirements, and it's hoped that layoffs can be avoided this time as well, she said.

Reductions will be across the board, including supervisors, but the greatest impact will be with city letter carriers. Rural carriers have different types of contracts and staffing arrangements, Marion said.